Chapter 741: The Illiterate God of War's Fatherly Role

After defeating the massive BOSS before them, Kratos and Atreus in the game prepared to head home.

However, the forest along the way had changed slightly from before—now filled with various kinds of Undead warriors.

There were fire-attribute Undead warriors, their bodies burning until they turned to Ashes, and others made of ice-like material, so resistant that attacking them with an axe would result in a Deflect, only allowing effective damage through physical strikes.

But for Kratos, these mobs were essentially weaklings.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yi, watching beside them, noticed something else—though Atreus was still quite feeble, only shouting things like "Father, no!" "Father, watch out!" "Father, behind you!"

His Bow and Arrows weren’t completely useless anymore, as they could inflict flinch/stun on enemies, triggering instant kill execution QTEs.

Still, the efficiency was a bit low—not as fast as just slashing through them himself.

The following story didn’t have many thrilling moments—just Kratos leading his son back home and giving him a heartfelt lecture.

Until an unexpected visitor arrived at Kratos’s doorstep.

‘Hiding won’t help. I know who you are. More importantly, I know your role.’

Hearing the mysterious person’s voice outside, Kratos quickly instructed Atreus to hide in the catacomb.

Zhang Yi was now bewildered.

They know Kratos’s true identity?

Could this be someone seeking revenge?

But the only ones who held grudges against Kratos were the Greek gods—and they were all long dead. Could it be that during Kratos’s years in Norse mythology, he’d slain many others as well?

Listening to the voice outside, Zhang Yi looked bewildered.

Kratos then opened the door, revealing a man covered in tattoos with a thick Beard standing at the entrance.

Facing Kratos at the door, the mysterious man was confrontational and mocking.

He even punched Kratos straight in the face.

Zhang Yi was stunned instantly. Is this Dwarf suicidal?

Yet Kratos’s reaction shocked Zhang Yi even more—making him Taken Aback and realizing that the once unstoppable, rage-driven Kratos had truly changed.

Despite being struck in the face, Kratos merely suppressed his fury and warned the man to leave his home.

Compared to the past version who would storm Olympus over a single insult, the current Kratos was utterly transformed.

He had learned restraint—because Kratos understood that behind him, inside the house, was his son, Atreus.

Yet the situation wasn’t easily resolved. Even as Kratos held back his anger and warned the intruder to leave, it was clear this wasn’t an ordinary man.

From the earlier dialogue, it was evident the Dwarf was likely a god—a deity from Norse mythology!

After a brief cutscene, the game transitioned into another BOSS battle.

This fight, compared to the previous battle against the Mountain Troll, was like night and day.

Compared to the Mountain Troll’s fight, the earlier encounter was nothing more than a new player tutorial.

There was no massive body like the Greek gods or Titans.

The mysterious man was even shorter than Kratos.

Yet the actual battle was world collapsing—perfectly illustrating what it meant when gods clashed.

The visceral feeling of fists connecting, the sweeping, wide-ranging attacks, and the visually stunning presentation—

tree trunks shattered by their clash, solid boulders cracked and pulverized by their blows.

Even as they stood on the mountainside, competing in strength, the sheer power between them tore the entire mountain range apart, artificially creating a deep, bottomless canyon.

From using trees as weapons to slamming the enemy against stone, combined with activating Spartan Rage—this brutal, raw violence, different from the epic-scale battles of the past, left players even more shocked.

In the end, Kratos still had the upper hand, twisting the mysterious man’s neck and hurling him down the valley.

Zhang Yi remained immersed in the intensity of the battle. Though it wasn’t against a colossal monster, the impact and震撼到了 feeling still evoked awe—this style of combat was truly what the God of War should embody.

But beyond that, what moved Zhang Yi the most was the realization—Kratos might truly be aging.

In ancient Greece, Kratos had slaughtered countless Olympians, enduring battles of unimaginable scale.

He had always been relentless—unstoppable, never showing signs of fatigue.

But now?

After the fight, Kratos lay on the ground breathing heavily, covered in bloodstains, resting before slowly rising. On his way back, he staggered, dragging his axe behind him.

Anyone could see—after that battle, Kratos was utterly exhausted.

Back home, through conversations between Kratos and Atreus, the main quest gradually became clear: the player must guide Kratos and Atreus to the highest peak in Norse mythology, and scatter the Ashes of the child’s mother—whose face had never been shown—atop the tallest mountain.

From this moment, the journey officially began. Just as Zhang Yi had suspected, every action of Kratos had changed.

Compared to the hot-tempered young Kratos, the current Kratos exuded a sense of calm and peace—two traits Zhang Yi, a veteran of the previous trilogy, never thought could describe Kratos.

On the journey, while traces of Kratos’s past fury still surfaced during combat, more often it was replaced by guidance and care for Atreus.

For instance, during the game, Atreus and Kratos encountered a group of scavengers who wanted to eat their meat.

It was also the first time Atreus personally killed a human. Considering how earlier he couldn’t even bring himself to kill a simple Elk, this clearly had a profound psychological impact on him.

And indeed, Atreus fell into confusion. Yet Kratos didn’t shout or rage—he patiently comforted and guided him.

Setting aside Kratos’s identity as a warrior, in that moment, he was simply a kind and loving father.

Yet this loving father remained an illiterate.

Back in Greece, Kratos had been tricked by Athena’s promises, manipulated through wordplay due to his inability to read.

Yet now, far from his homeland, in the unfamiliar land of Midgard, Kratos seemed to have learned nothing—still completely unable to read.

Facing Rune inscriptions required for Puzzle Solving, Kratos in the game looked bewildered.

Fortunately, the so-called “deadweight” Atreus, whom Zhang Yi had long considered a burden, finally proved useful.

Compared to his illiterate father, Atreus was far more knowledgeable. Whenever Kratos encountered unreadable Runic Runes, he’d call out to his son: ‘Boy, what does it say up there?’

When confronted with unfamiliar Norse culture, Kratos would shout: ‘Boy, what do these mean?’

Any time cultural knowledge was required, Atreus had to step in.

As the story progressed, Kratos and Atreus met a Dwarf.

Using previously acquired items and Hacksilver, the Dwarf could forge new gear and upgrade their weapons.

After upgrading his axe and his son’s Bow and Arrows, and with no resources left, Zhang Yi continued advancing with his son.

In many scenes, Zhang Yi noticed obstacles similar to the thorny barriers in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Treasures were clearly present, yet no matter how thoroughly he searched, he couldn’t find a way to open them—this frustrated Zhang Yi greatly.

He wasn’t sure if he had simply missed something, or if these areas weren’t meant to be accessible yet.

On their way to the highest mountain, Kratos and Atreus encountered several special stories.

For example, after hunting a strangely behaving wild boar with his son,

a rather beautiful Forest Witch appeared, claiming the boar was her friend—a unique creature, the only one of its kind in the Nine Realms.

When this woman appeared, Zhang Yi felt a brief excitement.

Because during the Greek journey, whenever a beautiful woman appeared, it usually meant the start of the Red Soul Extraction mini-game.

But soon, reality proved him wrong.

The old Kratos would have indulged in such intimate Red Soul Extraction mini-games.

But the current Kratos was no longer the same. Time had left indelible marks on him, and now, as a father, such games clearly had no place in his life.

Moreover, the Forest Witch seemed genuinely kind toward Kratos and Atreus, making Zhang Yi privately wonder—could she be Atreus’s stepmother?

After leaving the Forest Witch, Kratos and Atreus finally reached Lake of the Nine, sailing on the boat she had gifted them.

And from this moment on, Zhang Yi once again felt the epic attraction of God of War.

God of War was still God of War. Compared to the Greek mythology journey,

this Norse mythology adventure offered a richer story and even more breathtaking scenes.

At the center of Lake of the Nine, the colossal World Serpent shot up into the sky, causing the water level to drop—revealing submerged sculptures and ancient RUINS cities.

The awe-inspiring graphics immediately shocked Zhang Yi to his core.

This was simply unbelievable!

Of course, as the game progressed, Zhang Yi sensed that God of War had evolved in genre, and as an ARPG, its difficulty gradually increased.

Without upgrading weapons, gear sets, and Skills, fighting monsters was no longer like mowing grass—it became slightly strenuous.

The monsters varied greatly—some with ranged attacks, others melee, and some even casting spells, like witches conjuring storms of sand.

Facing them alone, Kratos struggled. In contrast, the very “troublemaking player” he once looked down upon—Atreus—became far more effective with his Bow and Arrows.

And as Zhang Yi upgraded Atreus’s equipment and Skills, the once-useless boy grew increasingly helpful in combat.

Previously, Atreus’s main role was shouting during battle:

‘Father, get up!’

‘Father, watch your back!’

‘Father, are you okay?’

He seemed like nothing more than a mascot.

His only real use was approaching unfamiliar Rune markings and translating them for Kratos.

But now, after reaching Lake of the Nine,

though Kratos remained steadfastly illiterate, Atreus grew stronger and stronger—eventually mastering close-range bow techniques, one swift shot sending enemies into flinch/stun.

Watching Atreus, now full of excitement, carefully observing the surroundings after a fierce battle, while Kratos stood panting heavily—

Zhang Yi felt the art style had shifted slightly.

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